Springfield Googolplex Adam Schoales and Nate Storring

Few movies have been as shaped by their pop culture legacy as Godzilla (1954), and hey, that’s the premise of this podcast! Adam and Nate watch this influential monster movie for the first time on its 70th anniversary alongside “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo” (S10E23), the Simpson family’s controversial vacation to Japan.

Also in this episode:
• Godzilla vs. Kong (or is it Godzilla x Kong?): We compare the rampages of these two iconic movie monsters
• How the American adaptation, Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), influenced how the world understood the original for 50 years
• What movie has the most Simpsons actors besides The Simpsons Movie?
• Something called an “oxygen destroyer”

After a short break, we’ll be back in June with Batman: The Movie (1966)—the Adam West one—and the Simpsons send-up of superhero movies, “Radioactive Man” (S7E2).

Ah, The Natural (1984), a classic American tale about… an underdog baseball team, a serial killer, a love triangle, a match fixing scandal, a freak accident in the outfield, and a magic baseball bat? We’ll get into it, along with “Homer at the Bat” (S317), a star-studded Simpsons episode that stretched the reality of the show.

Also in this episode
• Randy Newman (yes, of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” fame) delivers a banger of a score that The Simpsons parody again and again
• Is all the plot nonsense worth it for that astonishing Hollywood ending?
• Bump Bailey and other old-time Swartzweldian baseball nicknames
• How can a star like Robert Redford get beyond roles like “baseball Jesus”?

Next time… GODZILLA. 

…The 1954 version. Also, “Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo” (S10E23).

With the 96th annual Academy Awards complete, Adam and Nate review the night’s festivities and finally get a chance to talk about recent movies for a change. 

Also in this episode:
• Highlights from the show, from its “perfectly cromulent” host* to Al Pacino’s big moment—hoo-ah!
• Adam and Nate’s (very different) lists of top 10 movies of 2023
• A trivia game about Best Picture Winners parodied on The Simpsons, fresh from the Simpsons Movie Reference Database 

Next time, we return to our regularly scheduled programming with The Natural (1984) and The Simpsons’ ode to baseball “Homer at the Bat” (S3E17).

On its 40th anniversary, Adam and Nate endured Police Academy (1984) so you don’t have to! They also give a rundown of the many times The Simpsons has slammed this movie, with a deep dive into the episode, “Marge Be Not Proud” (S7E11), a hilarious and heartbreaking classic that Adam can barely watch.

Also in this episode:
• Trying to empathize with the fans who give this 10/10 on IMDb
• What makes good low-brow humor?
• Speculation about why the Simpsons writers hate this movie so much
• CanCon corner: Toronto on film, playing itself and others 
• Plus every Simpsons reference to Spinal Tap at SpringfieldGoogolplex.com

Next time, Adam and Nate take a swing at The Natural (1984) and The Simpsons’ ode to baseball “Homer at the Bat” (S3E17).

Follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Letterboxd.

Film and music writer Marko Djurdjic joins Adam and Nate to revisit Rob Reiner’s groundbreaking rockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984), alongside the band’s Simpsons cameo in “The Otto Show” (S3E22).

Also in this episode:
• How mockumentaries became the baseline in contemporary comedy
• The attention to detail that make this the best faux documentary around
• Marko’s guide to the sublime and the ridiculous in heavy metal
• Why do we poke fun at the things we love?
• Plus every Simpsons reference to Spinal Tap at SpringfieldGoogolplex.com

Next time, Adam and Nate enroll in Police Academy (1984) and one of the many Simpsons slams on this movie in “Marge Be Not Proud” (S7E11) to celebrate (or lament?) the movie’s 40th anniversary.

Follow us @simpsonsfilmpod on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, and Letterboxd.

Adam and Nate take a trip to Westworld (1973), Michael Crichton’s somewhat forgotten directorial debut with a long shadow that reaches into sci-fi and slashers movies, theme parks, and open-world video games. Along the way, they dig into The Simpsons’ full-length parody, “Itchy & Scratchy Land” (S6E4).

Also in this episode:
• The incomparable influence of Michael Crichton on 1990s culture
• Special effects that changed the face of movie-making 
• The Simpsons’ many unclear movie references, including Principal Skinner’s walk through the river in “The Boy Who Knew Too Much” (S5E20)
• Our memories of Disneyland, including its recent shift toward role playing

Next time, special guest Marko Djurdjic joins Adam and Nate to turn it up to 11 with This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and “The Otto Show” (S3E22).